WEBVTT >> THE FOLLOWING IS A SPECIALPRESENTATION.RON: JUST THREE DAYS AGO, AGUNMAN OPENS FIRE AT A TEXASCHURCH, KILLING 26.LAS VEGAS, SITE OF THE WORSTMASS SHOOTING EVER IN THE U.S.JUST WEEKS LATER, A MAN ISCHARGED WITH SHOOTING FIVECO-WORKERS IN MARYLAND.AND IN THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY, AGUNMAN OPENS FIRE, KILLING A GASSTATION WORKER.A 26-YEAR-OLD WOMAN SHOT DEAD ATHER HOME IN WHAT POLICE BELIEVEWAS A ROBBERY.ANOTHER WOMAN GUNNED DOWN GOINGTO GET GROCERIES.ALL OF IT FUELING THECONVERSATION, HOW TO PREVENT GUNVIOLENCE.GOOD EVENING.I'M RON MARTIN.LAST WEEK WE MET WITH SEVERALCOMMUNITY LEADERS TO RECORD ACONVERSATION ON GUN VIOLENCE.AND SINCE THAT TIME THERE HASBEEN YET ANOTHER MASS SHOOTING.THAT'S WHY WHAT HAPPENED INTEXAS WON'T BE A PART OF OURCONVERSATION.BUT IT BRINGS HOME THE POINT,THE NEED TO START A CONVERSATIONON GUN VIOLENCE.TAKE A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS.IN 2017, THERE HAVE BEEN 307MASS SHOOTINGS THIS YEAR.THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE GROUP"GUN VIOLENCE ARCHIVE."THE GROUP ALSO FOUND MORE THAN13,000 PEOPLE HAVE DIED THISYEAR BECAUSE OF GUN VIOLENCE.JOINING US TONIGHT, A NUMBER OFSUSQUEHANNA VALLEY LEADERSREPRESENTING DIFFERENT PARTS OFTHE COMMUNITY WILL TALK ABOUTTHIS ISSUE OF GUN VIOLENCE.LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO THEMNOW.SUE WALTHER, THE EXECUTIVEDIRECTOR OF THE MENTAL HEALTHASSOCIATION IN PENNSYLVANIA.HARRISBURG POLICE CHIEF, TOMCARTER.NEXT TO ME ALSO IS MR. KIMSTOLFER, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GUNRIGHTS GROUP "FIREARMS OWNERSAGAINST CRIME."DAVE ARNOLD, THE LEBANON COUNTYDISTRICT ATTORNEY.AND THE REVEREND RON TILLEY,ORGANIZER WITH "HEEDING GOD'SCALL IN HARRISBURG."THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING USTHIS EVENING AND IT MEANS A LOTFOR YOU TO BE HERE WITH US.WE DID INVITE A NUMBER OFLAWMAKERS ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL,SENATORS BOB CASEY AND PATTOOMEY, AND CONGRESSMEN LLOYDSMUCKER AND SCOTT PERRY, AS WELLAS STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL JOSHSHAPIRO AND THE NRA.THEY ALL DECLINED OURINVITATION.STATE SENATOR SCOTT MARTINORIGINALLY ACCEPTED OURINVITATION, BUT HAD TO CANCELAT THE LAST MINUTE DUE TO ASCHEDULING CONFLICT.WE WANT TO BEGIN NOW BY ASKINGALL OF YOU HOW WE GOT HERE.MR. ARNOLD, WOULD YOU BEGIN?HOW DID WE GET HERE?>> I THINK WE GOT HERE BECAUSEIT FEELS LIKE WE GOT ANESCALATION OF MASS SHOOTINGSTAKING PLACE.THERE'S A FEELING THAT VIOLENCEIS INCREASING, WHETHER IT IS GUNVIOLENCE OR OTHERWISE.GUNS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A LONGTIME BUT THE INCREASE IN MASSSHOOTINGS IS NEWER OF APHENOMENON I THINK.IN WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT, WHY ISIT HAPPENING IN HOW TO WE STOPIT FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE.RON: WHY IS IT HAPPENING?ANYONE?MASS SHOOTINGS.>> MASS SHOOTINGS ARE HAPPENINGFOR A VARIETY OF REASONS.IT IS A COMPLICATED ISSUE BUTSINCE 1968 OUR NATION HASPURSUED A COURSE OFEVER-INCREASING AMOUNT OFREGULATIONS ON THE PRIVATEPOSSESSION OF FIREARMS.MOST PEOPLE I TALKED TO,LEGISLATORS AS WELL AS ATTORNEYSAND POLICE OFFICERS, ESPECIALLYCITIZENS, DO NOT KNOW THE DEPTHAND BREADTH OF THE LAWS WE HAVENOW AND HOW MANY OF THEM AREVIOLATED IN THE COURSE OF MOSTOF THESE HEINOUS CRIMES.MASS SHOOTINGS ARE SUCH A SMALLSUBSET OF CRIME.THEY STILL ARE A SMALL SUBSET.WE ALMOST TURN THEM INTO DEITIESIN THE WAY WE PROMOTE THEM.AND WE LOSE SIGHT OF THE FACTTHAT EVERY DAY, AVERAGE,ORDINARY CITIZENS LOSE THEIRLIVES TO VIOLENT CRIMINALS WITHFIREARMS.THIS IS NOT DONE VIOLENCE PERSE.THEY ARE USING AN INSTRUMENTERRONEOUSLY AND CRIMINALLY TOHARM PEOPLE.YOU DON'T HARM -- HOLD THESEPEOPLE RESPONSIBLE.RON: CHIEF, WHAT IS GOING ON INOUR INNER CITIES?WE REALLY HAVE A PROBLEM AMONGTHE YOUTH AND IT IS HARD TO GETA HANDLE ON THIS BECAUSE ITSEEMS LIKE EVERY NIGHT ON THENEWS WE REPORT SHOOTINGS IN ONEOF OUR URBAN AREAS.>> THAT'S TRUE.THEY MANUFACTURE GUNS LIKE THEYDO CARS.WE HAVE THIS LOVE OF GUNS.THE EDUCATION IS NOT THERE.LIFE ISN'T THERE ANYMORE.THESE KIDS GET HOLD OF GUNS ARETHE THREE -- EITHER THROUGHBURGLARIES OR TRADING.THEY THINK THAT IS WHAT MAKESTHEM A MAN AND THEY DO NOTHESITATE TO USE THAT GUN.GETTING BACK TO THE MASSSHOOTINGS, THERE HAVE ALWAYSBEEN MASS SHOOTINGS IN THISCOUNTRY.NOW SINCE WE HAVE MASS MEDIA,THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT IT MORE.NOW WE HAVE DOMESTIC TERRORISTS.I AM ALL FOR GUN RIGHTS, THOSEWHO LAWFULLY OWN GUNS.HOWEVER, RIGHT NOW DUE TO OURLAST MASS SHOOTING, YOU DON'TKNOW.YOU DON'T KNOW.RON: WHAT IS YOUR BIGGESTCONCERN ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE?>> THAT THERE IS GUN VIOLENCE, IGUESS.I AM HERE BECAUSE I THINK THATIS A TENDENCY, ESPECIALLY WITHMASS SHOOTINGS, THERE IS ATENDENCY FOR PEOPLE TO JUMP TOTHE CONCLUSION -- THE PUBLIC,THE NEWS JUMP TO THE CONCLUSIONTHE PERSON MUST AFFECT MENTALILLNESS BECAUSE WE CANNOTEXPLAIN IT.THE GENTLEMAN IN LAS VEGAS THATKILLED AS MANY PEOPLE AS HE DID,PEOPLE JUMPED IMMEDIATELY, HEMUST HAVE BEEN MENTALLY ILL.IN FACT WHAT THEY HAVE FOUND ISABOUT THE ONLY THING THEY CANFIND IS HE SUFFERED FROMANXIETY.40 MILLION PEOPLE IN THISCOUNTRY SUFFER FROM ANXIETYSELECT DON'T THINK THAT IS APREDICTOR OF VIOLENCE.SO MY CONCERN IS PEOPLE WITHMENTAL ILLNESS ARE SCAPEGOATED,PARTICULARLY WITH MASS SHOOTINGSBECAUSE IT'S AN EASYEXPLANATION.I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER FOR WHYWE HAVE GUN VIOLENCE OR EVENMAYBE HOW TO STOP IT.I DO KNOW THAT ONLY ABOUT 3% TO5% OF OUR VIOLENT ACTS ARE DONEBY PEOPLE WITH SERIOUS MENTALILLNESS.RON: REVEREND, I WANT TO TURN TOYOU.CLEARLY WHAT IS HAPPENING HASEFFECTS ON PEOPLE ANDCOMMUNITIES AND A LOT OF LIVES.WHERE YOU SEE AS EFFECT OFVIOLENCE ON OUR COMMUNITIES?>> PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO GETUSED TO THE REALITY THAT THERE'SOVER 10,000 DEATHS A YEAR IN THEU.S. FROM GUN VIOLENCE.AND WHAT IS PERPLEXING TO ME ISTHAT OTHER COUNTRIES CAN FIGUREOUT A WAY TO GET THEIR NUMBERSTO BENEATH 100 YEAR.MANY COUNTRIES ARE BENEATH 100JUST SEE YEAR FROM GUN VIOLENCE.I SEE MANY PEOPLE ARE SCARED,MANY PEOPLE WANT TO FIND NEWSOLUTIONS TO DECREASE INVIOLENCE.-- GUN VIOLENCE.THEY WANT TO SEE MASS SHOOTINGSDECREASE BUT ALSO THEY WANT TOSEE GUN VIOLENCE PERPETRATEDMOSTLY BY ILLEGAL HANDGUNSDECREASE AS WELL.THERE MUST BE SOME COMMON SENSESOLUTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN USEDELSEWHERE THAT HAVE WORKED.IF YOU LOOK AT COUNTRIES LIKEAUSTRALIA, THEY USED TO HAVE AMASS SHOOTING PROBLEM.AND THEY DID SOMETHING ABOUTTHAT.THEY STARTED TO MAKE CERTAINFIREARMS THAT COULD EASILY BEUSED TO KILL LOTS OF PEOPLE IN ASHORT AMOUNT OF TIME, THEY MADETHEM LESS ACCESSIBLE.INSTEAD IN OUR COUNTRY, WHAT WEHAVE DONE AFTER THE BRADY LAWEXPIRED, AND AFTER THE EARLY2000'S, WE LOOK THOSE TYPES OFGUNS FLOOD THE MARKET.OVER 10 MILLION OF THEM.WE'VE ACTUALLY ROLLED BACK SOMEPROVISIONS THAT HAVE ALLOWEDMORE LETHAL WEAPONS TO GETINDUSTRIES.RON: SO YOU SEE GUNS AS APROBLEM?>> I SEE A LOT OF THE PROBLEMTHE THE AMOUNT OF GUNS ON THESTREET AND THE AMOUNT OF GUNSYOU GET INTO THE HANDS OF PEOPLEWHO SHOULD NOT HAVE THEM.MOST MURDERS ARE COMMITTED WITHGUNS BY PEOPLE THAT ARE NOTALLOWED TO HAVE A GUN.THEY ARE NOT COMMITTED BY PEOPLEWHO WERE LICENSED AND PERMITTEDTO HAVE A GUN.SO I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE ARIGHT TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A GUNAND PROTECT YOURSELF, BUT WEHAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO KEEPGUNS OUT OF THE HANDS OF PEOPLEWHO WERE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVETHEM AND DECREASE THE AMOUNT OFFIREARMS THAT CAN QUICKLY KILL ALOT OF PEOPLE BEFORE LAWENFORCEMENT CAN INTERVENE.RON: AT THIS POINT TO OURAUDIENCE WE WANT TO INVITE YOUTO JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONTHE WGAL FACEBOOK PAGE.YOU CAN SHARE YOUR COMMENTSRIGHT NOW.AND THEN, RIGHT AFTER OURDISCUSSION TONIGHT I WILL BEHOSTING A FACEBOOK LIVE CHAT.YOU CAN SHARE YOUR IDEAS ANDOPINIONS ABOUT SOME OF THETHINGS YOU HAVE HEARD HERE THISEVENING AND COMING UP, WE'LLTALK ABOUT HOW TO PREVENT GUNSFROM GETTING INTO THE WRONGHANDS.I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD STARTHERE.